The political landscape in Punjab is charged with allegations as the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accuses the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to poach its MLAs ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In response to the accusations, the Ludhiana police has taken action by registering an FIR based on the complaint of AAP’s Ludhiana South MLA, Rajinderpal Kaur Chhina.
According to the FIR, Chhina alleges that she was offered Rs 5 crore to defect from AAP, promised a meeting with high-ranking BJP officials in Delhi, and even offered a ticket for the Member of Parliament position.
Police sources revealed that the calls Chhina received, purportedly from a BJP worker named Sewak Singh, were traced to phone numbers with the country code of Sweden. However, Chhina informed the police that the caller claimed to be in Delhi despite the international origins of the calls.
The FIR, titled “illegal act of offering bribe to the sitting MLA Ludhiana South of Aam Aadmi Party for leaving her party and to join BJP using illegal means and threats by a representative of BJP from Delhi namely Sewak Singh,” outlines the details of the alleged bribery attempt.
Chhina, demanding additional security cover until the Lok Sabha elections, recounted her experience with the media, stating, “I received such calls from Germany and other countries for 3-4 days in a row… the caller brazenly offered me Rs 5 crore in cash and a ticket for Lok Sabha polls.”
The FIR has been lodged under sections 171-E (punishment for bribery) of IPC and 123 (1) of Representation of People Act at Daba police station, and investigations are underway.
Responding to the allegations, Jaibans Singh, the chief spokesperson for the BJP in Punjab, denied any association with an individual named Sewak Singh and called for a thorough investigation to uncover the truth.
The incident comes as a significant setback for AAP, with reports of defections within the party, including both its sitting Jalandhar MP Sushil Kumar Rinku and MLA Sheetal Angural, who have joined the BJP. Rinku, earlier designated as AAP’s nominee for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Jalandhar, has now shifted allegiance.